Mixed Signals
by Mychand
Summary: When Michael sends Caitlin and Hawke on a mission to attend a charity event, both come away with different interpretations of the night's events. This is a three part story that would have taken place sometime in season three.
1. Part 1

Part 1 of 3

Caitlin sat down at the bar in Hawke's cabin as they all waited for Michael to come and give them the details of the latest mission he had for them. "I thought he'd be here by now," she said as she looked at her watch.

"What's with you?" asked Dom. "Why are you in a rush?"

Caitlin shot him a wry smile. "Oh, I have this blind date tonight," she replied. "My friend Mary who is a make-up artist just started dating this new guy. He's an actor and he has an actor friend they want me to meet."

"I thought you said you'd never date an actor," said Hawke.

Caitlin grinned. "Well, that was before I saw the commercial he was in," she replied.

Before he could respond, Hawke heard the sound of Michael's helicopter. "Michael's here," he told the others.

Archangel quickly made his way up to and inside the cabin. "Thanks for meeting with me on such short notice," he replied as one of his women followed him in with several garment bags. "I'm going to need Hawke and Caitlin to attend a dinner party tonight."

"Tonight?" asked Caitlin. "That's short notice. There goes my date."

"Oh, you can always reschedule," replied Hawke. "If he wants to meet you he'll wait."

"So what's this all about Michael?" asked Dom.

Michael handed the trio several photos. "The first picture is of Mitchell Day and his wife Julia. She runs a charity with her best friend that helps foster children get adopted," he said. "The second picture is Julia's best friend Susan Smith and her husband Brett. Brett is also Mitchell's best friend."

"So why are we getting involved with a charity?" asked Hawke.

"As it turns out, Mitchell is funneling the money from the charity into an illegal gambling business," replied Michael. "When his wife found out, she went to Brett and in turn he came to us. Neither of them has approached him about it. They are angry because the charity means a lot to them."

"I'll say," said Dom. "You don't find too many people who will turn in their husband or their best friend."

"I bet they were afraid of being implicated," said Hawke.

"You're right," replied Michael. "The Day's marriage is pretty rocky and Brett has too much at stake with his business to let this indiscretion with Mitchell cause him any negative publicity."

"So, how can we help?" asked Caitlin.

"You will accompany Hawke to the charity dinner event tonight posing as his wife," replied Michael. "Here is a check for a half a million dollars. You will be introduced as a couple who cannot have their own children. This is why you're interested in this particular charity. Mrs. Day will act as though she knows you to keep her husband from being suspicious although I think the money alone will make him happy."

Michael motioned for his associate to hand Hawke and Caitlin the garment bags. "These are your clothes for tonight," he said. "I'll have a limo pick the two of you up at the hangar around seven."

"Wow, you don't waste any time," replied Caitlin. "So what exactly will be our purpose for going to this charity dinner besides giving them money?"

"We've been told that Mr. Day keeps a record of his gambling operation in a safe on the second floor," replied Michael as he handed Hawke an envelope. "Here is a layout of the house as well as the combination of the safe that Mrs. Day provided us. You'll also find a small discrete camera. We don't want him to find out we are on to him or that his wife is involved until we catch him in the act. Apparently he is using a special gambling bus. The locations that he picks up his clients and where they travel to are supposed to all be in that safe."

"How do we get to the safe without causing suspicion?" asked Hawke. "And, why can't Mrs. Day just get the information for us?"

"Apparently he watches her like a hawk. They have some trust issues. But, Mrs. Day as well as Brett Smith will do everything they can to keep him distracted and away from that area of the house at ten this evening," replied Michael. "They figure this will give you time to present them with your check and hopefully keep him from having any kind of suspicion about your motives. I'll have the limo pick you up around eleven and we'll meet back up at the hangar and go over your findings."

"Okay, sounds like a plan," said Hawke.

"Anything you want me to do?" asked Dom.

"Stand by with Airwolf in case something goes wrong," replied Michael. "You can never be too sure."

"You got it," said Dom.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAA

Later that evening, Hawke waited as Caitlin dressed for the party in the restroom at Santini Air.

"What's taking her so long?" he asked Dom.

"She's a female," said Dom with a grin. "She'll be ready soon enough."

A few minutes later, Caitlin emerged wearing a short black strapless dress. Her long hair was wavy and flowed down onto her shoulders.

"Wow," said Dom. "You sure clean up nice."

Caitlin laughed. "Thanks," she replied. "I kind of like this dress."

String smiled at her. "It suits you," he replied. "I don't think I'll have any problem getting away from Day. He'll be spending too much time looking at you."

Caitlin giggled. "Sure he will," she replied while lightly smacking him on the arm. "Is the limo here yet?"

"Actually I think I hear it now," replied Hawke. "Let's get going."

Hawke couldn't help but stare at Caitlin as they rode to the dinner in the limo. "What is it?" she asked him.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about how you're missing out on your date with the actor," he replied. "I'm sorry you're stuck with me instead."

Caitlin smiled and grabbed his hand. "That's okay," she replied. "I always enjoy a night out with one of my closest friends."

Hawke grinned at her. "Thanks," he replied. "We need to discuss how you'll back me up when I got into that office. I think you should stand as a look out. There is a bathroom two doors down so if anyone comes, they'll think you're coming out of there."

"Sounds like a plan," she replied. "I hope this goes down as easy as Michael seems to think it will."

"Nothing ever goes down that easy," he replied. "But, with inside help, we should be able to manage this."

Once they arrived at the charity dinner party, Hawke and Caitlin were immediately approached by Mrs. Day and she introduced them to her husband. He seemed delighted to meet them and Hawke figured that his wife had already briefed him on the amount they would be contributing.

The two mingled awhile in the crowd and sat down for dinner. The room was set up so that all of the couples would have a cozy table for two with candle light and roses.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever been to a dinner event quite like this before," said Caitlin. "They really want to wine and dine their contributors."

"Either that or some of these people are married and don't want to be seen with their girlfriends," chided Hawke.

Caitlin cocked her head sideways and smirked at him. "You are so cynical Stringfellow Hawke," she replied.

"I'm just a realist," he replied as he looked at his watch. "We have about a half hour. It looks like dinner is winding down and the agenda stated that they would announce the larger donations and then dancing would follow. Let's hope Mrs. Day does her job after that."

The rest of the night seemed to flow as planned. Mrs. Day and her friend announced the large contributors that included Hawke and Caitlin. Afterwards, she took her husband by the hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. That was the signal for String and Caitlin to go and access the safe. They found the office with ease and Caitlin waited out by the bathroom as Hawke went in to take pictures of the information they needed on Day's gambling operation.

No sooner had he stepped out of the room, both he and Caitlin heard Day and his wife coming towards them. Trying to avoid being noticed too close to the office, he thought fast and grabbed Caitlin by the arms and pushed her up against the wall.

Caitlin thought she knew what was coming next but it still took her by surprise. "Okay, I'll play along," she said to herself as Hawke pushed up against her and began kissing her almost frantically at first on the lips. Next, she kept her eyes shut as he moved down her neck and then began placing gentle kisses on her bare shoulders. She nearly shuddered as he moved back up her neck and once again took aim on her lips. He held both of her arms against the wall and then slowly let go as he used his hands to explore.

Both of them could sense they were being stared at and Hawke suddenly pulled away and turned towards Mr. and Mrs. Day.

"Oh, sorry," he replied while trying to act embarrassed. "Sometimes we just get carried away."

Mrs. Day smiled and then looked at her husband. "That's okay," she replied. "We were like that a long time ago."

"We'll leave you two alone," said Mr. Day as he took his wife's hand and pulled her towards the office. "You can carry on if you like."

Caitlin blushed. "Thanks but I think we'll be heading home now," she said. "This was a lovely party and we would like to be more involved in your charity. Please keep in touch with us."

"Oh, we will," replied Mr. Day. "Thank you again for your generosity."

With that, Hawke grabbed Caitlin's hand and they headed out to meet their limo.

"Wow, that was close," said Caitlin when they were almost outside. "Thank goodness he bought our act. That was quick thinking on your part."

"Yeah," Hawke replied as they climbed into the limo and headed back to Santini Air.

Too be continued…..


	2. Part 2

_FYI: This is just a short three part story unlike my other stories. It's sort of a three part "one shot" I guess. :o) _

**Part 2  
**First thing the next morning, Michael met up with Hawke and the others at the hangar.

"Well, the photos you brought us were quite helpful," he told them. He handed Dom a disk. This is the information you'll need to put into Airwolf to locate the routes they take each night on the bus. It appears they change it regularly but it always starts and ends at the same place."

"So you want us to stop it in the middle of a route?" asked Dom.

"Only if we can confirm that Mr. Day is aboard," replied Michael. "It appears that they make three trips a night and he goes on the last one to retrieve his money and according to the files you photographed, pays his employees on the spot. That's usually about midnight each night."

"Alright, we'll be there," said Hawke. "I want to catch this guy red handed. Anyone who takes money from kids is scum in my book."

"I agree," said Caitlin. "It's a shame that he turned a good cause into something that just benefits him."

"Okay, we'll rendezvous back here at ten thirty tonight. Have Airwolf standing by at that time," said Michael. "I want to be on the ground and help bring this guy in. I'll have my people there too."

"Sounds like a plan," said Dom as he watched Michael and his associate leave the hangar with Caitlin following closely behind him.

Hawke watched Caitlin and then turned to Dom. "What's she doing?" he asked.

Dom smiled. "Oh, she's asking him if she can keep that dress," he replied. "She wants to wear it on her date with that actor. They postponed until this weekend."

"Oh," replied String as he watched the exchange between Cait and Michael.

A few minutes later she ran back towards them with a big smile on her face. "He's letting me keep it," she said with excitement. "I can't wait to wear that dress again."

"So you really like this guy huh?" asked Dom.

"Yeah, I do," she replied. "He left me a message last night and asked that I call him no matter how late. Well, I did and we talked for hours. He wants to get together for lunch this afternoon and this weekend we're going to a real Hollywood party."

"That's great honey," said Dom. "Now, how about we all get back to work? There is a lot to do around her before we do this thing tonight."

Caitlin grinned. "Sure, what do you want me to do?" she asked.

"You could sort through that paperwork in the back office," Dom instructed. "I've been meaning to get to it but things have been kind of hectic around here lately."

"No problem," she replied. "I think I've gotten your filing system down now. I'll have it all sorted in no time."

Dom watched String's face as Caitlin headed to the back office. "What's with you?" he asked.

Hawke shook his head and sighed. "Nothing," he replied.

"It doesn't look like nothing to me," replied Dom. "I saw the look on your face when she came running back in."

String was hesitant at first but after a few minutes he decided to talk to Dom about what had been on his mind. "Dom, did Caitlin tell you what happened when I was almost caught sneaking out of that office?" he asked.

Dom had already gone back to working on an engine part. He stopped and looked back over at Hawke. "Sure," he replied. "She said you kissed her."

"Did she say anything about the kiss?" he asked wanting to know how Caitlin felt about it.

"Just that you were a good actor," he replied. "Why? Were you worried she'd take it seriously? If so, you have nothing to worry about. She's knows it was all for show."

String sighed. "That's all she said?" he asked again.

Dom gave Hawke a suspicious look before responding. "Well, she was concerned about going out with this guy. After what happened with Sawyer and seeing how good an actor you can be, she did feel a bit insecure about trusting this new guy. But, I told her it would be fine and she should take a chance on him."

Hawked plopped down in the chair behind Dom's desk. The expression on his face confused Dom further.

"What's going on kid?" he asked. "Are you worried about her going out with this guy?"

"No," he replied. "It's just that I started to realize that maybe I wasn't acting the other night."

"Oh?" asked Dom who suddenly raised his eyebrows as a grin was starting to form on his face. "So she's finally getting to you huh?"

"What do you mean finally?" Hawke asked.

"Come on String," replied Dom. "She's been here for two years and you've done everything possible to keep your distance from her. I always knew deep down inside you had a real soft spot for her. You just had to see it for yourself."

"I'm not telling her Dom and neither are you," String demanded. "This stays between us."

"Okay, if you say so," Dom replied. "But this new guy just might be the one for her and it will be your loss."

"What's he losing?" asked Cait as she entered the room and heard the last part of Dom's sentence.

"My mind," said String as he got up and headed out. "I'm running to get lunch. Since Caitlin is going out for lunch, do you want me to pick you up something Dom?"

"Sure," Dom replied as Hawke jumped into the jeep and sped away.

"What's going on with him?" asked Caitlin.

"Oh, he just came to a realization," replied Dom.

"About what?" she asked.

"Well, If you ask me, I think he really has lost his mind," Dom replied with a smirk. "I sure hope he comes to his senses soon."

Caitlin shot him a funny look. "Well, okay," she replied. "I'm getting ready to go out to lunch. I should be back in about two hours. But don't worry, I'll work later to make up the time since I'll be here anyway waiting for tonight's run."

"Sure, okay," replied Dom. "Have fun."

Caitlin smiled. "Oh, I will," she said as she gave Dom a peck on the cheek and took off for her lunch date.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Later that evening, Caitlin joined Dom and Hawke in Airwolf as they searched for the gambling bus using the coordinates that Michael gave them.

"We're coming up on it now," said Dom. "Looking at the thermal scan there appears to be at least thirty people on that bus."

"I wonder how many are customers and how many are Day's workers?" asked Caitlin.

"We'll find out soon enough," replied Hawke as he slowly came down towards the bus.

String moved Airwolf in front of the bus as they sped down the highway. Slowly, he reduced speed to force the bus to slow down as well. He continued little by little until the bus driver had no other choice but to stop. Once stopped, he tried to back up and turn around but Hawke gave them a warning shot and ordered everyone off of the bus. Quickly the bus was surrounded by a half dozen cars filled with Michael's men. Caitlin and String got out and both jumped on the bus to make sure that everyone got out and that Mr. Day didn't touch any of the money on board.

When Mr. Day saw them he glared at them. "I knew there was something fishy about you two. No one just gives up a half a million dollars like that."

"It was a pleasure taking you down," replied Hawke as he and Caitlin escorted Day off of the bus.

"I'm not going down that easy," he replied as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a detonator.

Before anyone could react, he pushed the button and the bus exploded into a fire ball. Hawke and the others were thrown several feet.

Falling face down, String tried to get up but everything around him began to spin. He struggled to regain his senses but quickly passed out cold.

To be continued…..


	3. Part 3

_Okay, this is the last part of my short little story. I don't have as much time to write these days due to work. But, as long as there are people interested in reading my stories, I'll try to do one every once in awhile if I come up with an idea. Thanks for the reviews. :o)_

**Part 3**

When Hawke woke up, he could hear a soft beeping sound as well as the low hum of someone snoring. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was in the hospital and Dom was asleep in the chair beside his bed.

"Dom?" he said hoarsely.

Dom opened his eyes and sat up. "Hey kid, it's about time you woke up," he replied. "How are you feeling?"

String stared at him. "Like I nearly got blown to pieces," he replied somberly. He looked around the room and then quickly turned back to Dom. "Where's Caitlin? Is she alright?"

Dom smiled. "Sure, she's fine," he replied. "She sprained her wrist but they gave her a prescription for the pain and sent her home to rest. You've been out for about twelve hours now."

String let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God," he replied. "What happened to Day?"

"He got beat up a little in the blast but they patched him up and he's on his way to prison for quite some time," replied Dom. "Blowing up his operation didn't help him any."

"I sure wasn't expecting that," replied String. "He nearly killed us all."

"You're right," replied Dom. "Luckily no one was still inside at the time or he would have a murder charge on his head as well."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAA

By the end of the week, Hawke was out of the hospital after only suffering a mild concussion and he began to throw himself into his work to get his mind off of Caitlin. It didn't help matters much that she constantly wanted to talk about this new guy and their upcoming date. String tried hard to hide his feelings but on several occasions he felt himself almost telling her how he felt. Still, he just couldn't admit it to her.

Hawke came to work on Saturday after promising to finish up some work they had gotten behind on. It was quiet with everyone else gone so he turned on the radio to listen to some music as he worked. Late in the afternoon, he was startled when Caitlin walked into the hangar wearing that little black dress again.

"What are you doing here?" he asked almost defensively.

Caitlin gave him a confused look. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "I just left the earrings here that I wanted to wear tonight. I didn't mean to disturb you."

String shook his head. "You didn't disturb me," he replied. "I was just surprised to see you."

Hawke couldn't help but stare at her. She looked even more beautiful than she did when they went to the dinner party. He thought the dress was stunning on her and it accented her shape just perfectly.

"You look beautiful," he continued. "Your date is one lucky guy."

Caitlin began to blush a little. "Thanks," she replied as she put on her earrings. "Are you planning on working all night?"

String shrugged. "I don't have anything else planned," he replied. Then, after pausing a few seconds he asked, "Are you sure about this guy Cait?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

String took a deep breath before continuing. "Look, I wasn't going to tell you this but I think I need to," he said.

"Tell me what?" she asked, her curiosity growing

"The other night at the party," he began. "When we kissed did you feel anything?"

Caitlin looked at him a little suspiciously now. "What do you mean?" she asked. "We were acting."

"Yeah, I guess it started out that way but are you saying you felt nothing?" he asked again.

"I'm human," she replied. "Of course I felt something but I knew it didn't mean anything to you and I'm dating this new guy now."

"What if I told you that it did mean something to me?" String was growing more nervous as he continued.

Caitlin shook her head. "Hawke, don't do this to me," she said. He could tell that she was starting to get upset. "It's been two years and now that I've finally found a great guy you've suddenly decided you might have some kind of feelings for me? Is this what you're saying?"

String looked down at the ground and sighed before moving towards her and putting his hands on her arms. "Yeah, that's what I'm saying," he replied. "You can't stand here and tell me that you don't feel something for me too."

Caitlin pulled away from him. "I can't do this right now String," she replied. "I have my date."

"Cait," he replied. "If you have any kind of feelings for me, please don't go on this date."

Tears began to fill her eyes. "I'm sorry," she replied as she turned and rushed out of the hangar.

Feeling at bit dejected, Hawke closed up the hangar and headed back up to his cabin. "I knew I shouldn't have told her," he thought to himself. "I hope I didn't ruin things between us."

He sat and watched the sun set before heading in and starting a fire. Hawke poured himself a glass of wine and sat down on the couch. A few minutes later he heard the familiar sound of Santini's helicopter as it landed by the lake. Within minutes, the cabin door flew open and Caitlin stood there staring at him. He could tell she had been crying and he wasn't exactly sure what to say to her.

"Damn it Hawke," she screamed. "You have the worst timing of anyone I know. Do you know how hard it was for me to break up with that guy?"

String stood up and walked over to her. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest with excitement. "Do you regret it?" he asked.

Caitlin shook her head. "Hell no," she replied. "I've waited two years for you to finally come to your senses and I'm not letting you back out now."

String grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. Gently he let his lips brush against hers before pulling her into an even deeper, nearly frantic kiss. "I think we should continue where we left off last time," he said afterwards with a smile.

"I agree," she replied with a grin. "Just slow down a little will you? I'm not in any rush to go anywhere. I'm yours for the weekend."

String cocked one eyebrow and smiled at her. "Sounds good to me," he replied.

**The End**


End file.
